---
product_id: 3143256
title: "Shoplifting from American Apparel (The Contemporary Art of the Novella)"
price: "€ 35.80"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.com.cy/products/3143256-shoplifting-from-american-apparel-the-contemporary-art-of-the-novella
store_origin: CY
region: Cyprus
---

# Shoplifting from American Apparel (The Contemporary Art of the Novella)

**Price:** € 35.80
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- **What is this?** Shoplifting from American Apparel (The Contemporary Art of the Novella)
- **How much does it cost?** € 35.80 with free shipping
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## Description

Shoplifting from American Apparel (The Contemporary Art of the Novella) [Lin, Tao] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Shoplifting from American Apparel (The Contemporary Art of the Novella)

Review: Great novella - Within 2 hours of getting this book in my hands I had finished it. It was an engrossing read throughout and I was totally committed to getting through it. The book flows much better, in my opinion, than that of Eeee Eee Eeeee, but there are certainly similarities. I really enjoy the format, the banter between characters and the way that Lin is able to capture the feeling of loneliness and confusion that goes along with being alone in the world, in this modern day where we feel so connected through the internet, but really have a hard time connecting ourselves to the real world, and an even more difficult time caring at all. Definitely a book worth reading a few times.
Review: Tao Lin: Part 2 - Tao Lin writes in a sort of generation idiom, a casual narcissism/self-concern, where concerns about others are invariably caught up in the whole thing about how one's self is perceived. Is this brutally naked emotional honesty? Does it derive from the author's role as a public artist? I don't really know and I waver between caring and not caring about it. Some days I barely have the energy to crawl out of bed, let alone Plato's cave, right? Shoplifting from American Apparel follows the protagonist, a lightly fictionalized or not-fictionalized-at-all version of Lin, through some stuff, where he thinks about--and to a much lesser extent, assumes some agency in regard to--girls and life and veganism and, yes, shoplifts from American Apparel. (For background on that particular aspect of the work, please consult this critical behemoth: [...]) Rarely has so little plot been so polarizing among the people I've spoken to. I read the majority of this novel in the back patio of 4th Avenue Pub in Brooklyn. At some point, I was joined by a number of people from BAM and their various artistically-inclined associates. I assumed that they fit the basic target demographic for his work, but no one in the crowd registered awareness of Tao Lin until certain details about the author and his writing were mentioned, at which point the mood turned sour. Comments were made to the effect of disapproval of his public persona and "provocative" behavior e.g. the title of this novel. It was hard to make the case in favor of Lin. I don't know if that's intentional on his part. Much noise is made about his unlikableness but when its coming from Gawker and the like I'd chalk that up to the narcissism of small differences more than anything else. His aggressive social media campaign also sends mixed signals about his desire to be liked or disliked by a mass audience, if that's even relevant to the discussion. (Full disclosure: This series of Tao Lin reviews was prompted by an email exchange with the author. These conversations were too brief for me to provide any first-hand accounts on this subject, though he seems like a nice enough guy.) The best reason I can give you to read Shoplifting from American Apparel might not exactly inspire you but I hope you understand where I'm coming from on this. I adhere to the theory, which I first saw articulated in Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, that reading a good book is like having a great conversation with a friend. I'm sitting here eating vegan chicken salad and drinking iced coffee as I write this. I alternate between a vague detachment to everything or a paralyzing emotional connection. I want to write and feel enormous dread about my abilities as a writer, my prospects for making any sort of living at it. I feel like when Lin writes about himself, in the way intimacy among friends often goes, he also reveals things I didn't really recognize about myself and provides a safe space to come to grips with them.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN  | 1933633786 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #768,848 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2,432 in Fiction Urban Life #4,951 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books) #24,434 in Literary Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars (134) |
| Dimensions  | 5 x 0.26 x 7 inches |
| ISBN-10  | 9781933633787 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1933633787 |
| Item Weight  | 3.53 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Part of series  | The Contemporary Art of the Novella |
| Print length  | 112 pages |
| Publication date  | September 15, 2009 |
| Publisher  | Melville House |

## Images

![Shoplifting from American Apparel (The Contemporary Art of the Novella) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/516MWSIQEwL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great novella
*by A***Y on June 25, 2010*

Within 2 hours of getting this book in my hands I had finished it. It was an engrossing read throughout and I was totally committed to getting through it. The book flows much better, in my opinion, than that of Eeee Eee Eeeee, but there are certainly similarities. I really enjoy the format, the banter between characters and the way that Lin is able to capture the feeling of loneliness and confusion that goes along with being alone in the world, in this modern day where we feel so connected through the internet, but really have a hard time connecting ourselves to the real world, and an even more difficult time caring at all. Definitely a book worth reading a few times.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tao Lin: Part 2
*by K***R on August 5, 2010*

Tao Lin writes in a sort of generation idiom, a casual narcissism/self-concern, where concerns about others are invariably caught up in the whole thing about how one's self is perceived. Is this brutally naked emotional honesty? Does it derive from the author's role as a public artist? I don't really know and I waver between caring and not caring about it. Some days I barely have the energy to crawl out of bed, let alone Plato's cave, right? Shoplifting from American Apparel follows the protagonist, a lightly fictionalized or not-fictionalized-at-all version of Lin, through some stuff, where he thinks about--and to a much lesser extent, assumes some agency in regard to--girls and life and veganism and, yes, shoplifts from American Apparel. (For background on that particular aspect of the work, please consult this critical behemoth: [...]) Rarely has so little plot been so polarizing among the people I've spoken to. I read the majority of this novel in the back patio of 4th Avenue Pub in Brooklyn. At some point, I was joined by a number of people from BAM and their various artistically-inclined associates. I assumed that they fit the basic target demographic for his work, but no one in the crowd registered awareness of Tao Lin until certain details about the author and his writing were mentioned, at which point the mood turned sour. Comments were made to the effect of disapproval of his public persona and "provocative" behavior e.g. the title of this novel. It was hard to make the case in favor of Lin. I don't know if that's intentional on his part. Much noise is made about his unlikableness but when its coming from Gawker and the like I'd chalk that up to the narcissism of small differences more than anything else. His aggressive social media campaign also sends mixed signals about his desire to be liked or disliked by a mass audience, if that's even relevant to the discussion. (Full disclosure: This series of Tao Lin reviews was prompted by an email exchange with the author. These conversations were too brief for me to provide any first-hand accounts on this subject, though he seems like a nice enough guy.) The best reason I can give you to read Shoplifting from American Apparel might not exactly inspire you but I hope you understand where I'm coming from on this. I adhere to the theory, which I first saw articulated in Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, that reading a good book is like having a great conversation with a friend. I'm sitting here eating vegan chicken salad and drinking iced coffee as I write this. I alternate between a vague detachment to everything or a paralyzing emotional connection. I want to write and feel enormous dread about my abilities as a writer, my prospects for making any sort of living at it. I feel like when Lin writes about himself, in the way intimacy among friends often goes, he also reveals things I didn't really recognize about myself and provides a safe space to come to grips with them.

### ⭐⭐⭐ review by ramzi shalabi
*by R***I on May 5, 2013*

unlike many of the other reviews ive seen of tao's books, i acknowledge what the book is without thinking of those characteristics as faults. that being said though, this book kinda just slid by for me. thats probably what he wanted to make as a book though, so thats cool. im glad this book exists because sometimes people who havent read in a while (cuz they cant find books they like) need a book like this. its simple and easy to read and (for me and others of my generation b. 1987) it depicts life in a similar way to how i experience it. and that serves an important function. discovering tao and the other alt lit stuff is for writers like what discovering punk rock is for musicians: it shows you that to do what comes naturally is ok, that what other people think of as good is actually irrelevant and that you should just do what you want. its liberating. its liberating because you read it and see that the writing is simple and autobiographical and that hey "i can do this too!" the reason i give it 3 stars is because thats what i think it deserves, but i dont mean it as an insult or anything. the world needs 3 stared books. they serve a purpose, and serving purposes is something tao is great at and its something that is missing from most people who do things in the world

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*Product available on Desertcart Cyprus*
*Store origin: CY*
*Last updated: 2026-03-18*